School bus injuries send 17,000 kids to ERs each year (AP/CNN)

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CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- New national data show school bus-related accidents send 17,000 U.S. children to emergency rooms each year, more than double the number in previous estimates that only included crashes.

Nearly one-fourth of the accidents occur when children are boarding or leaving school buses, while crashes account for 42 percent, the new research shows.

Slips and falls on buses, getting jostled when buses stop or turn suddenly, and injuries from roughhousing are among other ways kids get hurt on school buses, the data found. (Watch a busload of kids slam into the bus windows and walls during a rollover -- 1:20)

Injuries range from cuts and sprains to broken bones, but most are not life-threatening and don't require hospitalization. And while the numbers are higher than previously reported, they represent a small fraction of the 23.5 million children who travel on school buses nationwide each year, the researchers said.
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Safety belts, particularly lap-shoulder belts "could not only prevent injuries related to crashes," they could also keep kids seated "so they're not falling out of their seats when buses make normal turns or brake," said lead author Jennifer McGeehan, a researcher at Columbus Children's Hospital's Center for Injury Research and Policy in Columbus, Ohio.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/06/school.bus.injuries.ap/index.html